I was pleased to be a presenter at the recent 9th International Conference on the Social Sciences and Humanities in Cambridge, England. It was stimulating hearing presentations from people all over the world in different disciplines. One of the satisfying outcomes for me was the broad engagement of attendees with my presentation on liminality. For some, it opened up yet another pathway to understand some of the dynamics at work in their own research and settings.

At its core, liminality is a universal experience of all people, groups, however culture may shape it differently. The concept lands differently depending on worldview, social configurations, and individual psychologies. The experience of crossing certain thresholds, dwelling in uncertain territory, and discovering the hidden aspects in those very same zones, is a common phenomenon. Providing a language for this universal experience is helpful for people. It is applicable to both inner and outer journeys. Liminality provides an interpretive lens that acts as a tool to assess reality, or at least one aspect of reality. And that is true for both spiritual and secular orientations.

I have found that one of the most thrilling parts of this journey into liminality has been engagement with people and ideas from many fields, disciplines, and walks of life. Those are the richest conversations, the ones nested between what is known and not known, at the edges, in the places between my mind and yours.